How Long Does it Take to Grow a Beard?
When you’ve decided to go from clean-shaven to a full beard, the transition can be a struggle. We all get impatient waiting for those glorious locks to fill out to their full magnificence.
Patchiness, uneven growth, and the inability to shape or style our mane as it grows can be frustrating, and every beardsman wonders, how long does it take to grow a beard?
Whether it’s your first, second, or fourteenth time growing a full, flowing beard, it can be hard to predict how long it will take to get to the length you want, especially considering how many factors can affect the average hair growth rate.
We’ve got you covered, though! This guide will go over all of those variables that can affect how long it takes to grow a long beard. From genetics to testosterone levels, we’ll tackle each hair growth influencing factor so you can get a better idea of how long it takes to grow a beard.
How Long Does it Take to Grow a Beard?
So, how long does it take to grow a beard? The answer may not be as simple as you’d like, Kingsmen. It’s true that for most beardsmen, a full mane will take between 2-6 months. However, where you fall in that time frame is dependent on who you are, your background, and your lifestyle habits.
The time it will take to go from a barber-fresh, clean-shaven face to full-on mountain man whiskers will always vary from person to person. Various factors can affect your hair growth rate. Your age, race, stress levels, and genetics all play a part, as do the same old culprits: diet and exercise. But don’t feel discouraged because there are numerous ways to promote faster and even beard growth. Let’s go over what we can do to encourage those whiskers to grow faster and what we might be doing that could be slowing it all down.
Beard Growth Factors
Like a complicated scientific formula, beard growth has a lot of variables. We’ve touched on a few already, but let’s dive a little deeper into the different ways you can promote faster beard growth. Here are the main factors that influence how fast your whiskers grow.
Age
Prime beard-growing years fall between 25 to 40 years old. If you’re younger, you may find your beard grows slower and less evenly, leaving it patchy. Older men may find an easier time growing a full beard, well beyond 40 years of age. However, as you likely already know, it all depends on the beardsman.
We all knew that one kid in high school who could grow a full Ron Swanson style mustache and a ZZ-Top-esque beard. We also know many 30-somethings who still struggle to sprout full facial hair.
However, if you’re young and your beard has been slow-going, don’t worry. Your best beard years are still ahead of you. And if you’re an older Kingsmen, growing a full beard may take a little longer than it used to, but your hair density should increase. Your father's beard will give you an idea of how your beard may grow in the future.
Beard Care
Your beard care routine is going to have a significant impact on the speed of new growth. Patchiness and sluggish growth can often be attributed to build-up around the base of your hair’s follicles, as well as dehydrated skin and hair. Easily reach the beard length you want with a great beard care routine and regular trims with your barber.
Moisturizing beard wash and conditioner by Kingsmen Premium is a much better choice for washing your beard than shampoo, which will strip and dry your whiskers out. Follow it up with your favorite Kingsmen Premium beard oil to replenish lost nutrients, and moisturize the skin and hair, preventing dead skin from building up around each follicle.
Beard oil for growth is a tried and true method. Kingsmen beard balm and beard butter are formulated to offer deep conditioning and moisturizing effects that help promote even growth. Follow up with a brush that will gently exfoliate the skin while it styles and tidies up your beard’s shape. Shop the full line of Kingsmen products now and kick start your beard growth.
Diet
Your diet has a big impact on the health of your mane, Kingsman. You’ve got to cram those nutrients into your meals every day for a healthy body and glistening whiskers. Make sure you’re eating lean proteins like yogurt and getting enough iron. Your carbs should be good ones like whole grains and veggies.
Apricots are packed with vitamin E, which is great for all hair, while asparagus promotes healthy facial hair with vitamins A and C and calcium. You’ll get a load of potassium, which promotes hair growth, from foods like bananas and lettuce, and peaches are loaded with biotin which improves keratin in the body. Keratin is the building block of hair. Tomatoes have all the vitamins for beard growth!
Vitamins A, B, C, and E are present in tomatoes and all of this helps encourage even hair growth. Add these delicious ingredients to your meals and you may see a difference in how quickly your beard grows.
Exercise
Exercise stimulates blood circulation which is great for hair growth. Burning a few calories is also a known stress-reliever and stress is the biggest enemy of even hair growth. You can also balance out your hormones with exercise and your beard will thank you for it, as hormone imbalances can get in the way of normal hair growth.
Cell regeneration during sleep is key to growing hair and exercise can certainly help in that department as well. In short, exercise has numerous benefits for you and your mane, Kingsman, so find something you like doing and get out there and move!
Genetics
Your genetics play a huge role in the speed of your beard growth. Scientists suggest that 80% of what determines baldness is genetics, so it can be assumed your genetics influence your beard growth or lack thereof. The best way to determine how your genetics will affect your beard’s growth is by looking at the men in your family who came before you.
If they all have a full beard and glorious mustaches, you’re probably going to have no trouble growing your beard. On the other hand, if they all seem to have clean-shaven faces, you may not get much help from your genes.
However, unlike your father, grandfather, and great grandfather, you live in a time when science and innovation have found numerous ways to promote even beard growth and improve your ability to get that long, luscious mane you’re looking for.
Race
Although everyone is unique, your race can also influence how quickly your beard gets growing. Men of Asian descent may find it more difficult to grow a long, full beard, while Caucasians will find it a little bit easier. African-American men can also struggle to grow long facial hair, but there are many exceptions to the rule. The men you are related to should give you a better idea of how easy you might find growing a long beard.
Skincare
Skincare is essential for happy, healthy hair of all types. Your skin can make or break a glorious mane. Each hair follicle is affected by your skincare routine. You need to make sure you’re treating the skin under your beard with as much care as you do the whiskers themselves.
A skincare regimen that promotes hair growth will clear dirt and debris from the hair follicles, allowing for normal growth. It will also replenish moisture for a happy, healthy growing environment, and it will protect the skin from sun damage and the elements. It starts with a good face wash, and Kingsmen Premium’s beard wash will tackle that, gently loosening dead skin and product buildup from around the hair follicles.
Replenish the moisture with Kingsmen’s conditioner and when you apply your favorite Kingsmen Premium beard oil, make sure you work it right down into the skin. Get a facial moisturizer for the parts of your face not covered by facial hair, and make sure to use sunscreen to protect your skin from damage. When your skin is happy, so is your beard!
Sleep
The sleep cycle is when your body regenerates cells, a crucial process for growing a beard. Your deepest sleep is when your body releases more testosterone, which takes us back to hormonal balance. Between 6 to 8 hours is the amount of sleep you should be aiming for every night if you want to help improve the speed of your beard growth.
Stress
Stress is hair’s worst enemy. From the hair on your head to your neatly trimmed ‘stache, excess stress can cause hair loss, reversing all your hard work growing your mane.
There are many enjoyable ways to beat stress and get that beard back to normal. Download a meditation or relaxation app to bring you into the present moment. Exercise and eating a healthy diet can also reduce the effects of stress on the body. Find balance in your life between family, work, hobbies, and friends, and communicate clearly with those around you who rely on you.
Life is stressful, and we’ll never entirely escape it, but we can reduce it to a minimum and nip the effects stress has on our beards right in the bud.
Testosterone
Testosterone is the reason men have facial hair at all. It’s the primary ingredient in growing a beard. As such, ensuring your testosterone levels are normal, which is between 264 and 916 nanograms per deciliter, is the key to the mane you’re looking for. The pituitary gland in your brain controls your testosterone levels. If you have low testosterone, it’s important first to have a doctor confirm that and then find a testosterone supplement, which can act as a beard growth supplement to get those whiskers moving.
Time
No matter what you do to promote beard growth, it’s always going to come down to patience. You can’t grow an epic beard overnight, Kingsmen. You’re going to need between 2 to 6 months to see the length and shape you want, which can work out to about a third or half an inch per month. That means growing a beard is all about the waiting game. In the meantime, use all of the tips we’ve listed above to promote healthy hair growth so you can start to see some beard growth progress in a couple of months.
Beard Growth Phases
Beard growth happens in stages, and understanding these stages can help you to know what to expect next. There are four stages from a clean-shaven mug to a full-blown hipster beard. They are the anagen phase, the catagen phase, the telogen phase, and the exogen phase. Let’s jump in and learn what each phase is about.
The Anagen Phase
The anagen phase is the active growth stage when your beard is stubble and just starting to show itself. It can take up to 6 years for this phase of hair growth to end, beginning the cycle once again, but for beard hair, this stage lasts between two to four months and can see growth up to a half-inch per month.
The Catagen Phase
Next up, we have the catagen phase, also known as the transition phase, which sees your growth slow down significantly. During this time, the follicle shrinks, and the hair gets ready to grow again when the cycle repeats. It’s important to note that only a tiny number of hairs in your beard are going to be in this phase at any one time. This phase can last a couple of weeks.
The Telogen Phase
The telogen phase is a time of rest. Your hairs in the telogen phase aren’t going to grow a single inch, but they aren’t going to fall out either. They’re just resting. The telogen phase can take around three months and only affects a small minority of the hairs in your beard at any one time.
The Exogen Phase
The exogen phase of hair growth is when strands become loosened from the follicle and can easily fall out. New hairs can begin to grow in these follicles, causing the older hairs to fall out. This phase can last 2 to 5 months.
Beard Growth Starts with a Healthy Beard!
If we can take one main point away from everything we’ve learned, it’s that growing a beard is an exercise in patience. It takes time to develop a beard, Kingsmen, even when you have the right genetics. Practice the tips and tricks for growing a beard we covered in this piece to ensure each whisker is in a growth-promoting environment.
Get that body moving, make sure you’re eating everything a beard wants and do what it takes to reduce stress and get the sleep your whiskers need. You’ve got up to 6 months to wait for those luscious locks to reach a final form, during which time you should be caring for them.
Shop Kingsmen Premium’s complete line of beard care products that have all been carefully formulated for the health of your mane. Never miss a day of deep conditioning beard oil, and grab some beard butter for a moisturizing treatment your beard will love.
Beard wash and conditioner will make sure your showers aren’t stripping your beard of its natural oils, and Kingsmen Premium beard balm will infuse each hair with much-needed nutrients while it protects them from the elements (and keeps them looking great). Bundle your beard needs together in a beard care kit and save! Shop today and make that beard grow.
